Domestic and industrial electric power is generally provided by thermal, hydroelectric, and nuclear power plants. New developments in hydroelectric power plants are capable of responding rapidly to power consumption fluctuations, and their outputs are generally controlled to respond to changes in power requirements. However, the number of hydroelectric power plants that can be built is limited to the number of prospective sites. Thermal and nuclear power plants are typically running at maximum or near maximum capacity. Excess power generated by these plants can be stored via pump-up storage power plants, but these require critical topographical conditions, and therefore, the number of prospective sites is determined by the available terrain.
New technological innovations and ever increasing demands in electrical consumption have made wind power plants a viable option. The power output from an individual wind turbine generator or set of wind turbine generators varies as a function of wind speed. Wind speed is stochastic in nature and varies by hour, by day, by season and by year and this reduces the availability or firmness of the resource. The power output cannot be dispatched and its value is therefore discounted.
In order to compensate for wind speed fluctuations, diesel fuel generators may be used in a power supply system. This is particularly useful for remote area power supplies (RAPS) where a link to an extended grid is not available. Diesel fuel generators are a very reliable form of energy but are highly inefficient when operated at less than full capacity. Thus, it is preferable to operate fuel generators at full capacity or not at all rather than operate them at partial capacity.
Vanadium redox batteries have recently received favorable attention, as they promise to be inexpensive and possess many features that provide for long life, flexible design, high reliability, and low operation and maintenance costs. A vanadium redox battery includes cells holding anolyte and catholyte solutions separated by an energy conversion mechanism. The vanadium redox batteries rely on a pumping flow system to pass the anolyte and catholyte solutions through the cells. In operating a vanadium redox battery, flow rates, internal temperatures, pressure, charging and discharging times are all factors that influence power output.
It would be an advancement in the art to provide a stable and constant power output from a wind turbine generator by employing the benefits of a vanadium redox battery. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide such a power supply system which further included optimized use of diesel fuel generators.